Computer systems are well known in the art and have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture continue to push the performance of computer hardware higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems that continue to increase in complexity and power. Computer systems have thus evolved into extremely sophisticated devices that may be found in many different settings.
One application for computer systems that is increasing in importance is the creation, dissemination, and viewing of electronic documents, such as electronic books or articles. When compared to traditional media, electronic documents provide significant benefits in terms of the cost and speed of distribution as well as providing other benefits such as the ability to quickly provide updates. As technology continues to advance, the benefits of electronic documents over traditional paper-based media will likely become more pronounced while their disadvantages become lessened. Electronic documents are thus an increasingly attractive alternative or addition to traditional distribution methods for publishers of books, magazines, articles, and other texts.
One type of book that is particularly popular for electronic distribution is technical books because of their time-critical nature and often technologically savvy readers. Publishers are typically electronically distributing technical books by either providing them via download or by offering them on-line in a fashion accessible by subscribers or others who have paid for the book. By providing technical books electronically, publishers are able to provide additional services as well, such as by providing example files, downloadable sample code, or other benefits. Another additional service increasingly popular with publishers is the availability of translations of the electronic book into other languages. Readers may then purchase or license the book in whatever language they desire. Translation of technical books into a multitude of languages may thus provide additional sales and marketing benefits to publishers.
The often time-critical nature of technical books, however, often results in translations that are rushed and are therefore often incorrect, incomplete, or poorly worded. Moreover, the content of technical books is often difficult to translate because of its complexity and the potential lack of an equivalent word in other languages. As a result of the problems in translation, many potential buyers are deterred from purchasing a translated electronic book and sales of translated technical books are often lower than publishers are expecting or desire. Many technical professionals, for example, purchase the version of the book printed in its original language (often English) instead of their native language and rely on an often inadequate command of the original language to muddle through the book. Such a solution results in a reader who struggles with the book that they would rather read in their native language, resulting in wasted time and an unhappy customer. Other readers refrain from purchasing the electronic book at all as there is no solution that provides a clear, readable text in the language they prefer.